


‘Twas The Night Before Christmas

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attraction, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Confessions, Cute, Cutesy, First Meetings, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 17:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13151085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Getting trapped inside an airport because of heavy snow fall on Christmas Eve, that's virtually guaranteed to make it a bad night and a crappy Christmas, right? Well, not if you find the right company.





	‘Twas The Night Before Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buying_the_space_farm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buying_the_space_farm/gifts).



> Oh look! Another unplanned fic, but I was given a Christmas prompt the other day and thought that I should proooobably try and finish it near the holiday it was for, right? And I finally got a bit of a lull in the festivities now that it’s the 26th over here sooo enjoy the oneshot that **buying_the_space_farm** asked me for!
> 
> AND ENJOY MY _99TH_ FROSTIRON STORY HOLY CRAP GUYS, WHAT??

When it came to horrible ways to spend Christmas Eve, Loki could think of a few that were worse than what he was currently enduring, but not many. 

After all, he could be stuck with his adopted family and suffering Odin’s disapproval, Thor’s over-inflated ego and his mother’s attempt to force cheer into a situation that was barely keeping from breaking into a screaming match.

No, there were far worse places than being stuck overnight in an airport.

It didn’t mean he wouldn’t rather be back home and either celebrating with friends or sitting down to a good movie and a bottle of wine in his pyjamas but, Loki digressed. He also took another sip of his hot chocolate and held tight to his coveted spot in the coffeeshop with powerpoints for phone and laptop and his large, comfortable booth seat. 

Loki had been one of the first people to look between the weather and his connecting flight a few hours ago only to realise he was _not_ going to be leaving anytime soon and had scouted out a place to while away the hours. There was another man who had made a similar decision at the same time as Loki. He was brunet, _incredibly_ attractive and just as territorial about his spot by the powerpoint.

They had actually been sustaining an odd sort of commiseration; looking up when parents with screaming children came in and sharing a grimace and even rolling their eyes when they heard the same damn complaint about the weather for the forty-sixth time.

Loki liked to think he had something of a bond going with the attractive brunet with the dark eyes and sharply amused smirks. A small part of him might have been wondering if he could _enhance_ that bond a little, but really, a brief chat with a handsome man that would only come to nothing; what was the point?

So Loki had been giving his focus to his computer screen, splitting his attention between browsing cat memes and working on some projects for work. He was in the middle of a particularly amusing thread of pictures when a frazzled woman had come into the coffeshop; desperate for a place to charge her phone and try to contact her family. She was in near tears, and Loki had barely blinked his attention away from his screen before the attractive brunet was smiling gently and offering the lady his spot.

It was so... so _gentlemanly_ that Loki had to bite down on a charmed smile. The man had quickly brushed off her gratitude when she tried to offer it and claiming he was planning to move on soon anyway so she could use it as much as she wanted. (It was a blatant lie, Loki knew they had both put down roots and had even silently guarded each other’s possessions during bathroom runs to make sure they maintained their spots.)

It was because of that camaraderie and because Loki somehow found himself unwilling to wade through the rest of Christmas Eve _alone_ without smirking eye-candy to look at that he found himself calling, “Hey!”

The brunet had been moving towards the cashier, likely to pay his bill, but he turned and looked for the source of the voice. Loki gestured him to come over. It made the man cock his head to the side in bemusement before he smiled a little and made his way towards Loki.

He was shorter than Loki and his face was even more attractive up close. He was in loose jeans, a band shirt and a hoodie and although it could have looked drab, he made it look _stylish_. Loki suddenly felt overdressed in his slacks, button-down shirt and jacket, but he’d been attending a conference; he hadn’t planned for long-night delays. 

“Hey yourself,” the man remarked when he reached Loki’s table. His voice was smooth and faintly amused. It was everything Loki had imagined whenever his drifting thoughts had idly turned to the other man. The brunet glanced over Loki’s things before catching Loki’s eyes once more. “Need another bathroom cover?”

It made Loki smile as well. “Not yet, but I am willing to share my powerpoint in order to continue that arrangement.”

“Are you now?” He asked, the man’s grin pulling wider as interest sparked to life in his eyes. “And who would I be sharing with?”

He was fishing, but he was doing it pleasantly and with warm eyes. Loki also had absolutely no problem getting to know this handsome stranger better. He offered his hand while introducing himself, “Loki Laufeyson.”

“Loki? Nice,” he complimented, taking Loki’s hand in a firm grip and shaking. “Tony Stark.” His fingers even seemed to brush Loki’s wrist for a moment, their hands lingering as their gaze remained locked. “And I’d love to share.”

Loki was the first to break both the hold and their eye-contact as he moved to shuffle his things onto the floor; allowing Tony to place his own luggage with Loki’s and taking a seat opposite him at the table. Tony also got out his laptop and placed it on the table but he didn’t turn it on and Loki found himself unwilling to go back to his own projects when he had the other man in front of him.

“So, Loki,” Tony began with a smile that was far, _far_ too charming, “can I buy you a coffee on this fine Christmas Eve?”

Loki had to bite down on a smirk, but he did lean a little further forward on the table, watching as Tony actively shifted to minimise the distance as well. It was hard with two laptops between them, but the barrier could have not existed for the way their words jumped the gap. “Oh, yes. I would enjoy that, Tony.”

Tony’s eyes brightened and Loki could see mischief in them, he could also _feel_ the flirtation that was sparking to life between them and it sent a thrill through Loki even as Tony asked for his order and moved to the counter to get them new drinks.

Loki found his fingers drumming slowly against the table as his smile pulled wide; sharing a coffee with a gorgeous man in a locked down airport on Christmas Eve? Loki didn’t know when his life had become a Christmas movie but he was hardly going to complain.

In fact, things were suddenly looking up.

* * *

The next few hours flew by faster than Loki could have expected and it was all thanks to the man beside him.

Tony was funny, sarcastic and witty and Loki was already halfway to smitten with the way Tony laughed helplessly and pressed his face against Loki’s shoulder as if he’d been doing it for years. It had only taken Tony fifteen minutes to move to sit beside Loki and it had taken them not much longer to pack their laptops away and spend the entire time just discussing movies, literature, the boring conferences they had both been dragged to and the various other customers of the coffeeshop.

They sniggered like children and spoke of pranks pulled in their youth. They spoke of their friends, their mutual dislike of their family and how they avoided spending the holidays with them whenever they could.

It was honestly one of the best evenings, the best _dates_ Loki had ever had and while Tony might have jokingly called their meeting a ‘Christmas Miracle’ once or twice (or say _any time_ they shared an obscure similarity) but Loki found himself beginning to believe it.

He knew it was slightly ridiculous, but then _Tony_ was slightly ridiculous. 

When the coffeeshop had closed they had stayed together and made their way to an empty terminal where they formed makeshift beds on the seats, taking power naps across the aisle from each other before inevitably waking up minutes or short hours later. They ended up having long chats about pet peeves at one a.m. (“I don’t like being handed things.” “I will never forgive damage done to my books.”) and bad memories at three-thirty a.m. (“My father only wanted me as a legacy.” “My father only adopted me for the good publicity.”) and bonding more than Loki ever had with anyone else in his life.

But it wasn’t all dark thoughts and the compassionate bumping of each other’s shoulders. There was also the moment at six a.m. when the snow was starting to clear and the shops were opening; when Tony disappeared for a ‘bathroom break’ and came back with a brown paper bag with a bow. He passed it to Loki and smacked a kiss against Loki’s cheek before wishing him Merry Christmas.

There was a green stuffed bear inside and Tony looked immensely proud of himself. Loki would have thrown the toy at the other man if he hadn’t been laughing and trying not to let his cheeks heat up in a blush from the kiss.

In the end, Loki had just shuffled forward from where he'd been sitting on the floor in front of Tony and with one hand on the ground supporting him; he pressed his own lips in a soft, far less flippant kiss against Tony’s cheek.

“Thank you, Tony,” he’d whispered. “Merry Christmas.”

Tony’s cheeks had been dusted a light pink when Loki pulled back and Tony ducked his head a little awkwardly before clearing his throat and mumbling something about Loki mentioning that he liked green and how he would normally do a lot better when he wasn’t stuck in an airport and running on tourist-trap merchandise as gifting options. 

“Well, you’ll just have to do better next year, won’t you, Tony?” Loki had teased him and it had made Tony’s eyes snap up to hold Loki’s. The intensity in Tony's gaze made Loki swallow slightly. 

“Next year, huh?” Tony asked softly and with far more weight to the words - with something almost resembling an _offer_ wrapped inside them.

Because while Tony might have a house and live in Malibu, the company he worked for was based in New York and he spent almost half the year in the city anyway. They could, _technically_ see each other next year for Christmas. They could _technically_ meet up as early as next month for another coffee... for another _date_.

Loki found himself momentarily lost for words and when he did open his mouth to speak, any sound he would have made was drowned out by the speakers’ overhead as they began rattling off flights that would begin boarding shortly. Two of which, were flights that Loki and Tony would both be on.

When Loki looked back from where his eyes had drifted to the ceiling, he found Tony was already giving his attention to his luggage, fiddling with the zip and putting away the few things that he’d pulled out.

“Guess that’s us, huh?” Tony murmured, his tone aiming for jovial but falling a little flat; disappointment lingering after an offer had been rejected.

After a moment that Loki had hesitated too long on, and missed.

“Yes,” Loki murmured quietly, “I suppose it is.”

Tony finally looked up and caught Loki’s eyes, smiling a little tightly even as he said, “And our terminals are in opposite directions from each other, so, I guess that’s it.” He glanced around at their sprawled belongings. “I can look after your stuff one last time if you want to use the bathroom?”

Not sure how to steal back the moment from before and unwilling to part with Tony just yet, Loki took the opportunity to collect his thoughts and agreed. He packed up his few items before making his way to the bathroom.

He used the time to clean up, brush his teeth and stare in the mirror as he debated what to do. Tony was adorable, handsome, funny, _wonderful_. The kind of man Loki would jump at the chance to date. The fact that he didn’t permanently live in New York was, well, a difficulty, but not an insurmountable one, especially if things went well between them.

Surely it was worth the chance? Surely Loki would regret ignoring a so-called ‘Christmas Miracle’ that had landed in his lap?

Sighing slightly at his reflection, Loki pulled out one of the business cards he always kept with him as well as a pen. He scrawled down his personal number and hesitated before adding ‘ _Call me :)_ ’ knowing that the emoji would make the other man laugh, especially after Loki had spent ten minutes grumbling about how annoying they were while Tony’s sniggers and dramatic gasps had peppered the conversation.

When it was done, Loki slipped the pen back into his pocket and held the card between his fingers.

He looked at it for a long moment before shaking his head at himself and making his way out of the bathroom. It took Loki only a few minutes to navigate his way back to the terminal that he and Tony had settled themselves down in. When Loki spotted the other man it was to see Tony sitting and staring at his phone, looking slightly downtrodden as he slumped into the seat; it made Loki’s heart tug.

“Hey,” he called softly, making Tony jerk his eyes up and hurriedly plaster on a smile.

“Hey yourself,” Tony returned, a mimic of their first conversation before he was quickly looking away and packing up the last of his things.

It made Loki falter and he found himself sliding the card back in his pocket. He also found himself turning to his own luggage and pulling his laptop bag over his shoulder and his carryon onto the floor. Tony had a backpack and his own carryon and he’d pulled on a ridiculous pair of sunglasses.

He was adorable.

And it filled Loki with a burst of ridiculous confidence and before he could think better of it Loki found himself stepping closer and bending down just enough to brush his mouth against the other man’s lips in a chaste kiss.

It didn’t last more than a few seconds before Loki pulled back, able to see Tony’s slightly wide eyes behind the pink lenses.

“Bye, Tony,” he managed to say, feeling his self-assurance disappear like a cloud of smoke as he shoved the card into the brunet’s hand before turning on his heel and hurrying away.

His heart was beating a mile a minute and he refused to look back, because if he did, Tony would get a clear view of Loki's flushing cheeks and embarrassed grimace. 

Loki tried not to think about the other man as he strode through the airport. He tried not to wonder if Tony would call him and if so, when. He tried not to feel anxious about the kiss being too forward and putting Tony off. Loki tried to content himself with the knowledge that one way or another, he’d had a lovely Christmas Eve with the other man and had gained a ludicrous stuffed toy to remember Tony by.

In the end, by the time he made it to the terminal that was filling with tired and disgruntled other passengers, Loki was feeling a bit more accepting and resigned. He found his seat and arranged his belongings. He was just settling down, his head slightly tilted to look at the ceiling when his phone buzzed.

He pulled it out of his pocket only for his stomach to clench and his eyes to widen.

 _Would it be too early to call you now?_ The text started and while it was from an unknown number Loki knew who it was; he could already hear Tony’s voice and picture the man’s grin. _So we can chat before our flights? And maybe plan a night that I can take you to dinner when I’m next in New York? Like, in a week or two?_

The message ended with four emojis including a phone, a bright smiling face, praying hands and bowl of steaming food. Loki found himself smiling far too wide as he chuckled. His heart was also racing and excitement was rushing through him.

 _It wouldn’t be too early at all_ , Loki sent back and barely two seconds later his phone was ringing. 

Loki couldn’t have quelled his wide smile if he tried, already feelings his cheeks hurt slightly as he answered the call, “Hello, Tony.”

When Tony replied, his voice was bright and sounding almost giddy as Tony rushed quickly into trying to arrange a date, to ‘ _get in quick before someone else snaps him up_ ’. The conversation was light-hearted and full of the anticipation of seeing the other again, of having another date - a _first_ date, one that didn’t involve being trapped in the same building and covered in travel grime.

It made Loki feel incredibly excited for the next year and they spoke for almost half an hour before Tony’s flight was boarding and he needed to go. Tony promised he would message Loki when he landed and Loki promised to do the same as well. The whole thing made Loki stare down at his phone in one hand and his green stuffed bear in the other as he sat in the terminal with a unending grin.

And while there were probably better ways to spend Christmas Day than in an airport terminal waiting alone for his flight to board... somehow, Loki was hard pressed to think of one.

 

**BONUS:**

“Do you remember the last time it snowed on Christmas Eve?”

“Yes,” Loki answered with a smirk, “ _last year_.”

Tony elbowed him in the stomach lightly and while Loki made a small grunt of discomfort, it was easy to catch Tony’s hand and draw it back down to link with Loki’s own where he held them around the smaller man’s waist.

They were sitting comfortably on an armchair together and watching the snow fall outside Tony’s New York apartment. Tony was curled up in Loki’s lap with a Santa Hat on his head while a red and gold blanket was wrapped around them. Loki had his arms around Tony, keeping him close while his own reindeer antlers had been discarded early in the night. He was enjoying being pleasantly warm and content with his boyfriend’s head resting on his shoulder.

“I _meant_ ,” Tony continued persistently, “when we first met.”

“Yes,” Loki repeated, a smirk pulling at his mouth, “ _last year_.”

Tony actually pulled back so that Loki could more easily see the way the brunet rolled his eyes. He did drop his head back down to Loki’s shoulder a moment later though, so Loki saw no reason to complain. He also gave in and asked Tony, “What about it?” 

“I’m glad I got you as my Christmas present,” Tony told him, pressing a kiss to Loki’s neck and making Loki’s stomach twist and flutter. 

“I’m glad I got you,” Loki murmured back, shifting just enough to brush a kiss over the small bit of Tony’s forehead not hidden by his hat.

“You also got Chicago.”

“Oh yes,” Loki drawled, “my ridiculous green bear.”

“Your ‘ridiculous green bear’ that sits on the bedside table _in your room_ ,” Tony told him pointedly. “I think you love him more than you let on.”

Swallowing a little nervously, Loki answered, “I think it’s the one who gave him to me that I love, actually.”

Tony stiffened slightly before pulling back to hold Loki’s gaze with stunned eyes. “... Did you just?”

“Yes.” Loki’s smile was a little shy, but his eyes were warm and serious as he said it for the first time. “I love you.”

Tony’s smile was wide and bright and he kissed Loki instantly, pulling back only to say, ‘I love you too’ before he was kissing Loki again. Loki just grinned into the kiss, cupping his boyfriend’s neck and happily losing himself in the familiarity of his lover and in the feelings they’d danced around but never quite brought themselves to admit.

Until now.

When they eventually broke apart, Tony was quick to cuddle back into him and sigh happily. Loki just wrapped his arms back around his boyfriend and found his eyes travelling over the falling snow, the brightly decorated tree nearby and the man in his arms.

Without a doubt, this was his favourite way to spend Christmas Eve and Loki couldn’t wait to wake up with Tony on Christmas Day too. He couldn’t wait to experience many more years with Tony by his side, holding him close and warming every part of him, but especially his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Annnd there you go! Some more Christmas fluff from me, hehe. I hope you all liked, especially you, **buying_the_space_farm**. I tried to fit in as much of your prompt as I could ♥ :*
> 
> Happy Holidays (or just Happy Days to those who don't celebrate)! ♥


End file.
